It is common to provide trim panels in motor vehicles, for example to provide a decorative panel on an interior of a vehicle door. One approach for mounting trim panels is to provide a series of discrete mechanical fasteners. However, it is difficult to add structural performance to the trim panel using mechanical fasteners due to concentrated loads and stress relaxation.
An alternative to using mechanical fasteners is to use an adhesive to bond the trim panels in place. However, it can be difficult to form an acceptable bond with certain materials, such as polypropylene, used to mould the trim panels.
At least in certain embodiments, the present invention sets out to overcome or ameliorate at least some of the problems associated with the prior art arrangements.